U.S. patent number 4,610,205 [Application Number 06/635,733] was granted by the patent office on 1986-09-09 for bullet for black powder rifles.
Invention is credited to John C. Bentley.
United States Patent |
4,610,205 |
Bentley |
September 9, 1986 |
Bullet for black powder rifles
Abstract
A bullet for muzzle loading black powder rifles having an
elongated cylindrical metal body. The metal body includes a front
paraboloidal segment and a recessed base. A rear expansion band for
initially guiding the bullet into the rifled bore and for tightly
sealing the explosive gases upon firing of the rifle. A front
rifling band which is cut by the lands of the rifling to cause
rotation about the longitudinal axis of the bullet. An intermediate
knife-like cleaning band which removes residue from the rifled bore
as the bullet is propelled outwardly by the explosive gases.
Inventors: |
Bentley; John C. (Turtle Creek,
PA) |
Family
ID: |
24548889 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/635,733 |
Filed: |
July 30, 1984 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
102/529; 102/501;
102/524 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B
14/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F42B
14/02 (20060101); F42B 14/00 (20060101); F42B
009/20 (); F42B 031/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;102/501,524-528,529,442
;42/1BC |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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24404 |
|
Jul 1922 |
|
FR |
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29354 |
|
Jul 1925 |
|
FR |
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Other References
Army Ordnance "Styles in Small Arms Projectiles" by Green May-Jun.,
1932, 395-401..
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Primary Examiner: Tudor; Harold J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sotak; John B.
Claims
I claim:
1. A bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader comprising, as
elongated cylindrical body having a front rifling band having a
diameter equal to the diameter of the grooves of the rifling, an
intermediate cleaning band and a rear expansion band having
diameters equal to the diameter of the lands of the rifling, and
said elongated cylindrical body having a recessed base which
extends into the bullet a distance which encompasses both
intermediate cleaning band and said rear expansion band so that
detonation results in the dilation of said intermediate cleaning
band and said rear expansion band to clean the rifled bore and to
stabilize the bullet.
2. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said front rifling band has a diameter slightly larger
than the lands of the rifled bore.
3. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said intermediate cleaning band includes a forward knife
edge for removing black powder residue from the bore.
4. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein upon detonation of the charge said expansion band is
dilated to tightly engage the lands and the grooves of the rifling
to enhance the stability of the bullet.
5. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader as defined in claim
1, wherein said elongated cylindrical body has a flat nose.
6. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said recessed base has a paraboloidal cavity.
7. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said rear expanding band has a diameter substantially
equal to the diameter of the lands of the bore to facilitate
loading of the outlet.
8. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said front rifling band has a diameter substantially
equal to the diameter of the grooves of the rifled bore.
9. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein the detonation of the charge causes the recessed base of
the bullet to expand so that said rear expansion band seals tightly
against the lands and the grooves of the rifled bore.
10. The bullet for a rifled bore muzzle loader, as defined in claim
1, wherein said elongated cylindrical body includes a paraboloidal
segment at its front end.
11. A projectile for black powder rifles comprising, a metal body
having a rounded blunt front end, a cavity formed in the base of
said metal body, an expansion ring having a diameter equal to the
diameter of the lands of the rifling formed on the rearward end of
said metal body, a cleaning ring having a diameter equal to the
diameter of the lands of the rifling formed on the intermediate
portion of said metal body, and an enlarged rifling ring having a
diameter equal to the diameter of the grooves of the rifling formed
on the forward end of said metal body, said expansion ring engaging
the lands of the rifling when initially inserted into the bore to
guide the projectile, said rifling ring is cut by the lands of the
rifling as the projectile is urged toward its seat in the rifle,
and said cavity in said base extends into the projectile a distance
which encompasses both said cleaning ring and said expansion ring
which are expanded upon detonation of the charge to distend said
cleaning and expansion rings against the grooves and lands of the
rifling to form a tight seal and to clean the bore as the
projectile is propelled outwardly and to stabilize the projectile
upon exiting the bore.
12. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said metal body is a molded lead bullet.
13. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said cleaning ring includes a knifelike cutting edge.
14. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said cavity formed in the base of the metal body takes the
form of a paraboloid.
15. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said rounded blunt front end is a paraboloidal segment.
16. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said cleaning ring includes as acute angled annular cutting
edge.
17. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 1,
wherein a lubricating groove is formed between said rifling ring
and said cleaning ring.
18. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein an angled annular groove is formed between said cleaning
ring and said expansion ring.
19. The projectile for black powder rifles as defined in claim 11,
wherein said cleaning ring and said expansion ring surround said
cavity formed in the base of the metal body.
20. A rifle bullet for a muzzle loader having a rifled bore
comprising, an elongated cylindrical soft lead body having a
paraboloidal segment front portion and a hollow rear portion formed
by a paraboloidal cavity, a flat front rifling band having a
diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the grooves of the
rifling, a tapered intermediate cleaning band having a diameter
substantially equal to the diameter of the lands of the rifling, a
flat rear expansion band having a diameter substantially equal to
the diameter of the lands of the rifling, said flat rear expansion
band guides the leading end of the bullet into the rifled bore and
the lands of the rifling cut said front rifling band as the bullet
is driven toward its seated position, and upon firing the
detonation force expands said hollow rear portion which extends
into the rifle bullet a distance which encompasses both said
tapered intermediate cleaning band and said flat expansion band
drives said flat rear expansion band and said tapered intermediate
band into the grooves of the rifling to form a tight seal to reduce
blow-by of the explosive gases and to cause the scraping and
cleaning of the rifled bore as the bullet travels along the rifled
bore and to stabilize the bullet as it emerges from the rifled
bore.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a bullet or projectile for black powder
guns and, more particularly, to a casted bullet including an
elongated cylindrical body portion having a forward rifling band,
an intermediate cleaning band, and a rearward expanding band, and
having a hollow base which, upon firing, expands the intermediate
cleaning band and the rearward expanding band to clean the rifled
bore and to stabilize the bullet as it travels along the length of
the barrel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the revitalized interest in black powder shooting and hunting,
there arose a need to improve the common and original patch and
ball bullet loading and firing of percussion or flintlock rifles
and muskets. The patched round ball bullets are the slowest to
reload and are the least accurate. Further, the fouling of the
black powder necessitates frequent swabbing and cleaning of the
bore of the rifle. An attempt to alleviate the shortcomings of the
round ball bullets resulted in the development of the minie and
maxi balls. These cylindrical-body conical-headed bullets made it
possible to obtain a heavier load for any given caliber which
usually improved the accuracy. But, the fouling by the black powder
propellent remained an annoying problem, which required the shooter
to frequently swab and clean the bore of the rifle. Further, it is
not uncommon for minie and maxi bullets to become jammed in the
bores of the muzzle loaders. For example, during the excitement of
competitive shooting, or after missing a deer on a first shot, it
is not unusual to get the next bullet stuck in the bore, due to the
fouling or the like. In one instance, the ramrod was broken in an
attempt to free a jammed maxi ball from the bore of a flintlock
rifle.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and
improved bullet for black powder guns.
Another object of this invention is to provide a unique cast metal
bullet which cleans the bore of a muzzle loading rifle upon
discharge.
A further object of this invention is to provide a hollow based
bullet which includes a rifling band, a cleaning band, and an
expansion band for sealing, cleaning, and stabilization during the
firing of a black powder rifle.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a multiple
band lead projectile which reduces jamming during reloading and
which cleans the bore upon discharge of the rifle.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a flat-nosed
hollow based slug which is stabilized by a front rifling band, and
having a rear expansion band which is dilated upon discharge of a
black powder gun.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a molded lead
bullet which is readily loaded into the muzzle of a black powder
rifle and which cleans the bore of residue upon firing, and is more
stable and accurate during flight.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide an improved
bullet for black powder muzzle loaders which results in easier
loading, requires less swabbing between shots and achieves greater
accuracy during shooting.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a bullet for a
rifled bore muzzle loader comprising an elongated cylindrical body
having a front rifling band, an intermediate cleaning band, and a
rear expansion band, and said elongated cylindrical body having a
recessed base which results in the dilation of said intermediate
cleaning band and said rear expansion band to clean the rifled bore
and to stabilize the bullet.
Yet an additional object of this invention is to provide a
projectile for black powder rifles comprising a metal body having a
rounded blunt front end, a cavity formed in the base of the metal
body, an expansion ring formed on the rearward portion of the metal
body, a cleaning ring formed on the intermediate portion of the
metal body, and an enlarged rifling ring formed on the forward
portion of the metal body, said expansion ring engaging the lands
of the rifling when initially inserted into the bore to guide the
projectile, said rifling ring is cut by the lands of the rifling as
the projectile is urged toward its seat in the rifle, and said
cavity in the base being expanded upon detonation of the charge to
distend the cleaning and expansion rings against the grooves and
lands of the rifling to form a tight seal and to clean the bore as
the projectile is propelled outwardly and to stabilize the
projectile upon exiting the bore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a soft
metal bullet for black powder nuzzle loading rifles. The metal
bullet includes an elongated cylindrical body having a blunt
rounded front portion and a recessed base portion. A front rifling
band having a diameter which is substantially equal to the grooves
of the rifling so that lands of the rifling cut the rifling band as
the bullet is pushed into the bore of the rifle. A rear expansion
band formed at the extremity of the recessed base portion and
having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the lands
of the rifling which enhances placement and guidance of the bullet
during loading. An intermediate cleaning band formed adjacent the
rear expansion band about the recessed base portion and having a
diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the lands of the
rifling. Upon ignition of the powder charge, the explosive force
causes the dilation of the recessed base portion so that the
expansion and cleaning bands are forced against the lands and into
the grooves of the rifling to provide a tight seal to prevent
blow-by and to clean the bore and stabilize the bullet during
discharge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing objects and other attendant features and advantages
of the subject invention will become more fully evident from the
following detailed description when considered in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a
molded lead bullet and a part of the barrel of a muzzle loading
rifle prior to firing.
FIG. 2 is a front end sectional view taken along line II--II of the
bullet and barrel of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a rear end sectional view taken along line III--III of
the bullet and barrel of FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bullet and barrel
after firing of the rifle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, there
is shown a metal bullet 1 which is being loaded into the barrel
bore 2 of a black powder muzzle loading rifle 3. The bore of the
rifle may be any one of a number of popular calibers and is rifled
by spiral grooves cut into the bore of the barrel. Thus, the
internal surface of the bore 2 includes a plurality of grooves 4
and lands 5 extending the length of the barrel to increase the
accuracy of a fired bullet. As shown, the bullet 1 is preferably
molded of lead or lead alloy to obtain the desired weight per
caliber and unit length. In practice, the bullet 1 is an elongated
cylindrical member having a blunt front end 6 and a hollow rear end
7. The shape of the cavity 7 takes the form of a rounded tip cone
or paraboloid. The size of the paraboloidal cavity, namely, the
length, diameter and taper, is dependent upon the caliber and
weight of the bullet 1 and the softness of the metallic lead which
dictate the amount of deformation occurring upon detonation of the
black powder charge.
It will be seen that the elongated cylindrical lead bullet is
provided with a plurality of bands or projecting rings along the
length thereof. As shown, the front of the bullet 1 is a
paraboloidal segment 8 which terminates with an enlarged front
rifling band 9. The rifling band 9 has a preselected width and has
a diameter width which is substantially the same as the rifling so
that the lands cut into the band 9 and the outer peripheral surface
engages the rifling grooves 4 when the bullet 1 is forced into the
bore 2. A grease or lubricating groove 10 is formed between the
front rifling band 9 and an intermediate acute angled cleaning band
of annular ring 11. It will be seen that the cleaning band 11 is
slightly tapered and has a sharp forward foul removing or debris
cutting edge 12 which has a diameter substantially equal to the
lands 5 of the bore 2. In viewing FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, there is shown
a rear expanding band 13 which also has a diameter substantially
equal to the lands 5 of the bore 2. The widths of the cleaning and
expansion bands 11 and 13 are substantially equal to the width of
the rifling band 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a tapered groove 14
is formed between the ends of the bands 11 and 13. The groove 14
takes the form of an angled annular groove which may collect
particles of debris or fouling which gets past the annular cutting
edge 12 as the bullet is propelled outwardly after firing.
Let us now assume that an individual desires to load and fire the
black powder rifle.
After placement of the black powder charge, a lubricated bullet 1
is placed into the open end of the barrel 3 and is pressed
downwardly as far as possible into the bore by hand. It will be
appreciated that the rear expansion band 13 rides on the land
portions 5 to allow smooth insertion and to prevent the bullet from
jamming in the bore 2. It will be seen that, as the bullet 1
continues to be pressed into the bore 2, the rifling band 9 is cut
by the lands and will enter the grooves 4 to further stabilize the
initial entry of the bullet. After the bullet is properly seated by
an appropriate ramrod, the rifle is ready for firing.
Upon ignition of the black powder charge, the force of the
detonation expands the rear hollow end 7 of the bullet 1, as shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that cleaning band as well as the expansion
band are urged against the lands and into grooves of the bore 2. It
will be seen that the apex of paraboloidal cavity extends slightly
beyond the edge 12 of cleaning band 11 so that arcuate portions of
bands 11 and 13 are forced into groove 5 by the explosive gases. It
is enherent due to the design of the cavity that the thinner, lower
wall of the expansion band 13 will distort slightly more than the
thicker wall of the cleaning band 13. Thus, a tight seal is formed
between the bullet and bore to prevent blow-by and to maximize the
propelling force of the explosion gases. It will be appreciated
that, as the bullet 1 is propelled toward the discharge end of the
barrel, the forward end is stabilized by the rifling ring 9, while
rearward end is stabilized by the expanded or dialated ring 13 so
that the bullet uniformly spins throughout its travel through the
bore 2, and the expanded rear ring 13 ensures continued spinning as
the bullet exits the barrel. This mitigates the chance of the
bullet from tumbling as it exits the bore 2 and thus increases the
accuracy.
As mentioned above, the exploding gun powder also causes the
expansion of the intermediate cleaning ring 11 so that sharp
forward knife or foul removing edge 12 scrapes the lands 4 and
grooves 5 as the bullet is propelled along the length of the barrel
3 to remove fouling and residue from the bore 2 and to rotate the
bullet 1. Thus, the bore 2 is repeatedly cleaned during firing of
each bullet so that the meantime between washing or swabbing the
barrel is greatly increased. That is, during an average shooting
outing or hunting trip, it is normally unnecessary to clean the
bore of the rifle without experiencing any loading problems or
noticing any perceptible loss in accuracy.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description of this
invention is only illustrative, and it is not intended that the
invention be limited to the exact embodiment described and that
various changes, modifications, alterations and equivalents within
the sphere of the appended claims may be made by those skilled in
the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this
invention.
* * * * *